"Howdy" Duty

They look good, and may smell good. Their responses are measured and clearly rehearsed. If they encounter a question or a situation that may reflect poorly on their airs of competence, they ignore it and provide an unrelated answer to an unasked question. They are experts when “working the room.” Saying “hello” and “howdy” to every person in attendance as the young aide whispers names and political standings into their ears, they move about with freshly-starched shirts, glimmering cufflinks, nattily-knotted silk tie and a high-quality suit. And the smile…always the smile…except for those theatrical moments that demand a pensive or thoughtful demeanor. Even when they curse, it is done deliberately for dramatic effect. Their words seem full of insider’s knowledge, and their definitive pronouncements spring from the well of certitude. They are the career politicians…the class of Americans who have lusted for position and power since they watched their first presidential news event.

In their finely-manicured hands they hold our lives and our futures. Their eager young twenty-something staffers fill them with talking points and highlights about major legislative initiatives. Their overworked office bees cannot follow every piece of legislative action, however, and they frequently must vote on issues about which they know little. They turn to their colleagues for guidance as they cast their votes that affect millions in the nation and hundreds of thousands in their home districts. They do it all with confidence and the self-assured knowledge that they are more capable and wise than are the common folk who are their constituents. They are our nation’s elite leaders….the career politicians.

Rarely have they toiled in the lowly world of commerce or served in the ranks of the common laborer. Few of them have driven cabs, cultivated fields or cooked breakfast for a hundred patrons. Many are attorneys who have diligently studied to find the flaws in the typical contracts and agreements that others try to implement. Their arduous schooling fails them when examining the legislative monstrosities that their peers promote. The massive bills slide through the process…flawed and unworkable…left for the bureaucracy to interpret and enforce as it sees fit. Even if they are the best and brightest our country has to offer, they cannot do it all. There will be gaffes, mistakes, errors, foul-ups, but they are the chosen ones…the career politicians….born to lead, bred to rule, expected to be re-elected time and again until they choose to draw their generous taxpayer-financed retirement.

They spread their promises like soft butter as their practiced facial expressions of sincerity underscore the solemnity of their pledges. Their commitments to be champions of prosperity for all and fairness for the aggrieved ring loudly. Speaking of justice and government concern, they announce that they will assault the marbled halls until their constituents can reap “their fair share.” They resemble every super-hero in the battle for rights and plunder, and they tell us that they (and we) will prevail. “Send me back, and I’ll bring it back to you,” they so earnestly vow. They are career politicians, and for them some vows have no meaning.

Some vows are meant for speaking. Few are meant for keeping.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

                                                                                       or

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

These are meant for keeping, but few do so. It’s time that “we the people” insist that these vows be kept…even by the career politicians. It must be duty first and foremost… now and forever.

Comment:   cearlwriting@hotmail.com     or   www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Three reasons

There was an obituary in today’s Toledo Blade (I know, a liberal rag) that prompted me to engage in some reflective self-analysis. Twenty-five years ago this month my service as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives ended. There were a number of factors that influenced my decision to not run for reelection in 1984, but it was a choice that I have not regretted for this past quarter century. The obituary was for my opponent


in 1982…my final race. The gentleman’s name was Bob Heft, recognized designer of the 50-star flag and the mayor of Napoleon, Ohio. Bob was a decent guy and a worthy adversary. His passing and the twenty-fifth anniversary of my leaving legislature have caused me to examine how my political views have shifted though the years.

When I began my legislative sojourn in 1981, I was generally conservative…reflecting my background as a farm boy who became a small business operator in a small town. After encountering the cacophony of interests that surround the statehouse in Columbus, I found that if my representation were to have any coherence and consistency, then I had better more clearly define my principles for decision making. Early on it was apparent to me that many legislative proposals either ignored potential negative side effects or overlooked possible intervening variables that could hijack the original intent of the legislation. My positions began to harden, and my willingness to vote “no” grew dramatically. I began to resent the “we must have a bill” attitude that I observed from both sides of the isle. In my view, more often than not, no bill was far superior to any bad bill. Despite my frequent “no” votes state government continued to grow larger. So did the federal government, and as the state and feds issued mandates and “revenue sharing” schemes, so too, did the local governments. I witnessed very few cost efficiencies or improvements in service delivery.

Many large corporations and business associations have lobbyists representing them at the state house. Given that the state budget has grown so large, it’s only natural that they believe it necessary to lobby in order to protect themselves from hurtful legislation. It didn’t take me very long to detect that big government and big corporations were very similar in some respects. They have no hearts, no minds and no souls. That observation led me to conclude that those were the three primary reasons for my opposition to larger government and government’s willingness to engage in “sweetheart” legislation with large corporations. One of my constituents helped me arrive at that realization. He was a gentleman in his eighties who owned a small manufacturing company that did specialty work for the automotive industry. As he was guiding me on a tour of his facility, I remarked that surely his company had the potential for phenomenal growth. He agreed but said that they had chosen not to grow larger. “Representative Earl,” he said, “ we have 180 people working here now. I know every one of them, most of their spouses, and many of their children’s names. We cannot be as efficient and productive as we are now if we become so large that the employees can’t bitch to the owner on a first name basis.” This may not be an exact quote, but its pretty close. That lesson has stayed with me for more that twenty five years.

No private corporation is too big to fail. If a company becomes so sluggish that is inefficient, or their customer service fails to address the problems of the customer, then they should be allowed to drift away. New, more aggressive and innovative competitors will fill the void. Big government has no competitors to step up when it does not fulfill its mandate. It simply grows larger by claiming it needs more resources. As we have seen, when big government and big business work hand-in-hand to prop up one another, the superstructure becomes a house of cards. The insatiable government continues to consume more of the nation’s wealth, and the mega-corporations who are connected to the governmental umbilical cord fail to improve while the more efficient competitors are placed at a competitive disadvantage.

No heart, no mind, no soul. Three reasons for my becoming a passionate believer in personal freedom. Three reasons for my fear and loathing of an overreaching, uncontrollable government.

RIP Bob Heft.

Oh, there are three more reasons that I call for a saner government. They are twelve year old Shaun, ten year old Erin, and Sully, who will soon be eight months old. My grandchildren.